FROM NEXT YEAR, the Catholic Church in Ireland will encourage children making their Confirmation to take an additional pledge not to vape until they are 18 years old. 

The updated Confirmation pledge will see children abstain from alcohol, smoking and vaping until the age of 18. 

It has been a longstanding tradition in Ireland for children to take a pledge at their Confirmation, at the age of 12, not to drink until they are 18.

It comes in a bid by church leaders to encourage healthier lifestyle choices during young people’s formative years.

From next year, the Irish Bishops’ Drugs and Alcohol Initiative, in partnership with the Catholic Primary School Management Association, will make a new online module available to all schools whose students wish to take the updated Confirmation pledge.

The initiative is being rolled out in honour of Matt Talbot, the Apostle of Hope, whose centenary death has just been marked by the Archdiocese of Dublin. 

Talbot, a Dublin native, has been described by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference as a “figure of deep faith and personal transformation, whose legacy of prayer, penance, and devotion to the sacraments offers real hope for those struggling with addiction today”.

The decision to include vaping in the pledge is being made to honour Talbot’s legacy, while also supporting young people’s physical and mental health, the church has said.